Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100. The Luron Mining Method
As dawn broke, I led Romandro and my subordinates toward the Monene Mine at a gallop. Following yesterday’s orders, the entrance was half-sealed, and the mine manager was discussing something with the soldiers.
“No, no! I’m telling you, I left the ledger inside!”
“Look, I said you can’t go in, but you keep insisting.”
“Just a moment, yes? Just a moment, I’ll slip in and come right back out, yes?”
“Lord Ian. You’ve arrived?”
“Oh! Ah, good morning.”
The moment I appeared, the soldiers aligned themselves on both sides and saluted. The mine manager also bowed deeply at the waist to greet me.
“Never mind the pleasantries—follow me. I have questions for you.”
“Ah, yes, yes. Just say the word.”
The manager swallowed hard, his throat dry, and followed in my wake. He felt as though he’d been struck by lightning first thing in the morning. In a single night, the mine had been sealed, and now the lord himself was entering the tunnels. Something extraordinary had definitely occurred.
“Have there been any unusual occurrences in the mine?”
“By unusual occurrences, I’m not entirely sure what you mean, but… there was nothing particularly noteworthy to report.”
“About two hundred meters in, there’s a new ore vein. You didn’t notice it?”
“A, an ore vein?”
The manager’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt. His reaction made it clear he knew nothing about it. When I turned around with a slight smile, he went pale and threw himself prostrate, crying out.
“I sincerely apologize!”
“…That’s not quite what I was hoping to hear.”
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
I meant it sincerely, but the manager couldn’t accept it that way. A new ore vein had appeared and he hadn’t reported it? He’d be suspected of secretly skimming it, and if he truly hadn’t known, it would reflect poorly on his competence as a manager.
“I, I humbly swear I knew nothing of this new vein’s existence. The location you mentioned seems to be near the tunnel fork, and the miners pass through there six times a day. Yet since no one said anything, it appears that no one in the mine noticed it at all.”
Either way, the fact that I’d come personally meant this wasn’t something to be brushed aside lightly.
As the manager began striking his forehead against the ground, I sighed and turned to Berik. Berik subtly blocked the man’s self-harm by sliding his foot in the way.
Thud!
“Don’t do that. You’ll put a hole in your forehead.”
“…Pardon?”
The manager’s forehead was already blackened with coal dust. I continued forward and spoke again.
“I’m not seeking to assign blame—I need information. If no one in the mine knew about it, then it must have appeared quite recently.”
“Ah, what kind of ore vein is it, if I may ask?”
Could it possibly be gold? It seemed impossible that such things would appear in this black, dusty coal pit. Yet the manager couldn’t help but let his hopes run wild as he studied my expression.
“Yes, I know. It’s something quite extraordinary.”
“Oh!”
The manager involuntarily drew in a sharp breath. So this was how a reversal of fortune struck! If I didn’t hold him accountable for failing to identify the ore vein, he would continue as the mine’s manager. If new resources were discovered, it meant substantial profits would trickle down to him as well.
“You should know that I’ll be away from the manor soon.”
“Yes. You’re going up for your title conferment—what wonderful news. While you’re away, Lord Ian, I’ll ensure the mine’s operations continue without interruption.”
“I appreciate that. Which is why I need to temporarily close the mine. I’ll continue paying your salary as usual. However, give the miners six months’ severance to settle their affairs.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“It means an indefinite provisional closure.”
Despite the morning hour, the interior of the mine remained devoid of sunlight. There was no light save the lantern in my hand, yet as I walked deeper, I could see what appeared to be a faint violet glow in the distance.
“What you’re about to see must remain absolutely confidential. Can you manage that? If you’d prefer, you’re welcome to turn back now.”
The Administrator hesitated for a moment at my proposal. From beginning to end, wasn’t this an excellent arrangement for him? If the mine closed, he’d have less to manage, yet his salary would continue flowing without interruption!
Drip.
As water fell from the ceiling, the Administrator snapped to attention and bowed his head. His eager response echoed through the mine like a bell.
“I-I won’t breathe a word of this, no matter what happens!”
“I appreciate your discretion.”
Besides, if he returned now, I had no idea how I’d dispose of him. Whether I’d simply send him home or sever his tongue for merely hearing such a proposal.
“Ever heard of mana stones?”
“Mana stones? Ah, no, I haven’t.”
“Surprising. I thought someone working in a mine would know of them.”
“News travels slowly in these parts. Is it a newly discovered mineral?”
“Something like that. In terms of value, it’s likely more precious than gold.”
I gestured for him to look, and the Administrator reflexively turned his gaze.
“Ah, but… what in the world is that…?”
My eyes could scarcely believe what they saw. By the gods, by magic itself! What on earth was this? In all my years, I’d never seen anything like it—a faintly luminescent violet ore.
“Wait, is that… is that ore? And what’s with the corpse?”
“There are plenty of air pockets inside, but it’s definitely hardened solid. Ignore the corpse. In a way, we found this thanks to him.”
The lower half of the body was crushed, the corpse’s face drained pale. The Administrator hesitated in shock only briefly before dropping to the ground to carefully examine the cracks in the stone, searching for where the ore vein began.
“Here, bring the lantern closer.”
“Berik.”
“Yes, yes, right away.”
The Administrator traced his fingertips along the surface, following the starting point upward. Soon, having confirmed something, he rolled up his tunic and produced a small chisel.
Clink! Clang!
“That won’t work. I’ve tried everything with a sword—not even a scratch. From what I can tell, you’d need to detonate a bomb to break this thing.”
“You certainly have a dramatic way of suggesting we blow up the entire mine.”
“Well, it won’t work otherwise. Just wasted effort.”
Despite Berik’s objections, the Administrator continued striking with the chisel. Though it would be more accurate to say he was tapping rhythmically using the momentum rather than putting his full strength behind it.
“I’m attempting to break the interlocking stone, not the mana stone itself. It seems to connect around here, and I’m sensing more moisture rising from this area than elsewhere.”
Clink!
Suddenly, a broken stone flew up with a sharp sound. The Administrator dropped flat to the ground, and Berik rushed over, about to peer down.
“Huh?”
“What? What is it?”
But the Administrator merely furrowed his brow as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have. Though Berik lingered about annoyingly, he didn’t budge.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, it’s definitely coming from below here. There was a large pool of liquid the same color as this. But the moment you approached…”
“The moment I approached?”
“It hardened. The deeper section has no interlocking stone, so it would be difficult to excavate. Unless we destroy this barrier itself.”
As both I and Romandro looked at Berik simultaneously, he raised both hands in protest, looking wronged. It seemed as though he alone was responsible for the mana stone hardening.
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Berik.”
“Really. Truly. I swear it.”
“Come back over here.”
The moment my words left my lips, Berik retreated further from the Administrator.
“Is it still the same?”
“Yes. It remains unchanged.”
“Ian, do you know something about this?”
Romandro turned to me with an expression of complete bewilderment. It was fair to assume that ordinary people possessed almost no knowledge of such matters, unless under exceptional circumstances.
Even Count Derga, who possessed the mana stone brooch, likely knew only its method of use, not the detailed nomenclature, properties, or operational mechanics of mana stones.
I felt as though something was clicking into place.
“Mana stones operate on the fundamental principle of mana resonance.”
“Mana resonance?”
“Precisely—they respond to external mana as their basic mechanism of operation.”
Count Derga’s brooch functioned similarly.
To replay the voice repeatedly required a special solution, and the grade of the product was determined by how much mana was infused during its manufacture.
“It seems that this one…”
“This one?”
“It appears to solidify when external mana draws near. Berik, when you pursued the Knight yesterday and drew close, you said it became like this, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. At first, I thought I’d fallen into mud. It got worse the more I struggled.”
Berik, a Mage Knight. He carried faint but genuine mana within his body. So it was possible that a slow solidification reaction occurred as he approached.
My uncertain memory crystallized into certainty.
‘It’s likely Luron.’
Probably a high-grade mana stone. What was that used for again?
The Ministry of Magic even had a separate department dedicated solely to mana stones—knowledge of an entirely different caliber. I furrowed my brow and waved my hand in a gesture for them to move aside.
“Step back.”
“Why? What are you doing?”
“I’m going to try destroying it.”
“With your bare hands? Are you insane?”
Berik startled in alarm and dragged my arm away, then pressed a sword into my hand and nodded with satisfaction.
“A person should use tools. Obviously.”
“Fine. You take it then.”
“Huh? Having second thoughts? Want to eat with your toes?”
I dismissed him lightly and placed my hand upon the mana stone. The corpse’s eyes, bent at the waist, stared vacantly into the void.
Whirrrrr.
Shrieeeeek!
As I slowly drew mana together, the purple hue of the stone deepened. It was as though heat rose within it, causing the internal bubbles to desiccate.
Berik and Romandro scrambled backward in alarm, while the Administrator threw himself flat and shielded his head.
“Ian, Ian! It’s going to explode, isn’t it? Be careful!”
“Aaah! If it shatters here, we’re all dead!”
“Please, please save us! Ian!”
“Ian, it’s dangerous! Alas, I’m a newlywed!”
“Aaaaah! Please, couldn’t you stop doing that?!”
With three people talking at once, my head was practically ringing. But I didn’t back down, slowly channeling my mana….
“Huh?”
“…Huh?”
“Ian, did you just say ‘huh’?”
My small exclamation brought only silence. The blink of an eye felt like an eternity—surely that was just my imagination.
CRACK!
BOOM! SCREECH!
“Ahhhhh!”
“Insane!”
In an instant, the mana stone shattered and exploded. Large and small fragments flew in all directions, and Romandro and the Manager cowered, screaming.
Berik immediately drew his sword, batting away the cascade of fragments from his face, and looked at me.
“Ian! Are you alright?”
“Huh? Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”
My hair was trembling slightly. Whether from the mana stone explosion or the force of the mana itself, I couldn’t tell.
“It exploded right in your face and you’re fine?”
“I must have instinctively put up a barrier.”
“Well, well. You did that nicely.”
I just laughed while brushing dust and powder from my clothes. It was strange. I’d channeled my mana very slowly and faintly, just to take a quick look, yet it reacted intensely and shattered.
Whoosh.
As the mineral split in half, the Knight’s corpse tumbled to the ground. I looked down at my hands, tilting my head in confusion.
‘That’s strange.’
Had my mana become more sensitive? I had no idea.
Berik approached and held up a mana stone fragment the size of his fist, biting down on it.
“No matter what I did, it wouldn’t budge, but you broke it. Magic really is something, isn’t it?”
Romandro glanced around. Fragments of mana stone were scattered everywhere. He forgot all dignity and began sweeping the floor with his sleeve.
“Let’s gather these quickly, Berik.”
“This is tedious. Can’t we just take the big pieces?”
“Think of each pea-sized piece as worth one gold coin.”
“…Is the broom outside?”
Berik dashed outside, calling for people. I placed my hand on the less-damaged section and muttered.
“Everyone, please step back further.”
“Ah, Ian! Wait, wait!”
Zing. Zing!
BOOM!
“Oh no!”
The Soldiers waiting outside simultaneously turned their heads toward the mine tunnel entrance, their eyes filled with curiosity about what was happening inside.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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